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Chicago, June 12, 2013 – Cacao Barry®, the French premium chocolate brand, today announced the appointment of Chef Franck Iglesias as its newest Ambassador. Iglesias will assist the brand in evaluating new products, developing new recipes and conducting pastry demonstrations.

“We are incredibly fortunate to partner with such amazing ambassadors who each bring unique perspective and talents to our club, ” said Alexandra Urbe, Cacao Barry® Brand Manager, Americas. “Chef Iglesias' career is a perfect illustration of how versatile a pastry chef can be, equally showcasing his craft whether in a pâtisserie or a large scale casino. We greatly look forward to learning from his abilities to create quality desserts and manage such a large staff.”

“It is an incredible honor to work with and represent Cacao Barry,“ said Iglesias. “As a young pastry chef, I used to get inspiration from Cacao Barry recipes and classes. I look forward to sharing my vision, skills and knowledge with both experienced and new pastry chefs.”

With a rich French heritage dating back to 1842, Cacao Barry® is associated with innovation and passion among the finest pastry chefs in the world. Since founder Charles Barry travelled to Africa in search of the finest cocoa beans to create his first connoisseur’s chocolate almost 170 years ago, the brand’s vision always has been that the chocolate-maker’s craft is an art form.

Iglesias began his pastry career as a youth working alongside his mother, who cooked traditional French cuisine at home. His father, who worked at a local restaurant, was also a great inspiration throughout his youth. In his teen years Iglesias attended Andorra Culinary School, where he spent two years learning the basics of French cuisine before moving to Perpignan to begin a two year program in the art of pastry making. After many years acquiring experience in restaurants throughout France and Spain, Franck made the life changing decision to move to America, bringing his craft to Pâtisserie Mirabelle in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.

In 2002, Franck continued his American journey, studying under the esteemed Francois Payard at his Upper East Side Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro in New York. In late 2008, he took over as Executive Pastry Chef at Foxwoods Resort Casino, where he oversees preparation of desserts for thirty outlets. Franck’s creative work has been published in Food & Wine, Gourmet, Art Culinaire, Pastry and Baking North America, Dessert Professional, Le Journal du Pâtissier and Modern Bride Magazines and he has appeared on Food Network’s top-rated show, Sweet Genius.

Iglesias has often cited the role that seasons play in his masterful creations. From varying flavors to colors, each time of year offers a selection of fresh ingredients that inspire Iglesias to create. These ingredients are often paired with unexpected flavors to make unique textures and contrast. As Iglesias notes, “I like to start with a traditional recipe or flavor and add something different or new, just enough so when people take a bite they wonder about it.” Such modern interpretations of classic desserts have been seen in Iglesias’ carrot cake with citrus mascarpone and S’mores with chocolate financier. Iglesias refers to such concoctions as “American with French attitude.”

By constantly inventing and reinventing Pastry and Gastronomy, France gave its name and mark to this art. It is a tradition envied by the whole world. It is all about creativity, innovation, and above all passion. Since its creation in 1842, Cacao Barry® has been entirely committed to this heritage. Today Cacao Barry® provides the most complete palette of products, to all passionate chocolate craftsmen around the world: chocolate and couvertures, pralinés, origins and exclusive plantations, decorations and moulds, inspiring them and opening doors to new creative experiences. Besides, Cacao Barry® offers the widest international community of chocolate professionals, Ambassadors’ Club and Chocolate Academies to support craftsmen and chefs on their quest for perfection. Cacao Barry® is a global Gourmet brand of Barry Callebaut, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate.

Barry Callebaut (www.barry-callebaut.com):

With annual sales of about CHF 4.6 billion (EUR 3.6 billion/USD 5.0 billion) for fiscal year 2010/11, Zurich-based Barry Callebaut is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate – from the cocoa bean to the finished chocolate product. Barry Callebaut is present in 27 countries, operates around 40 production facilities and employs a diverse and dedicated workforce of about 6,000 people. Barry Callebaut serves the entire food industry focusing on industrial food manufacturers, artisans and professional users of chocolate (such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs or bakers), the latter with its two global brands Callebaut® and Cacao Barry®. Barry Callebaut is the global leader in cocoa and chocolate innovations and provides a comprehensive range of services in the fields of product development, processing, training and marketing. Cost leadership is another important reason why global as well as local food manufacturers work together with Barry Callebaut. Through its broad range of sustainability initiatives and research activities, the company works with farmers, farmer organizations and other partners to help ensure future supplies of cocoa and improve farmer livelihoods.